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Day Report Center says county support helps keep families together; commissioners approve $20,000 match and table $30,000 opioid-settlement request
Summary
Darren Taylor told commissioners that the South Branch Day Report Center now offers expanded recovery and family-support programming and serves about 100 Hardy County clients; commissioners approved a $20,000 county match for the community corrections grant and tabled a separate $30,000 opioid-fund request.
Darren Taylor, director of the South Branch Day Report Center, told the Hardy County Commission the program has shifted from primarily providing drug testing to offering a broader set of evidence-based classes — parenting, life skills, anger management, domestic violence intervention and relapse prevention — that county and state officials told him were needed for families involved with child-protective services.
“We started asking DHHR what services they needed, and they said parenting, life skills, anger management,” Taylor said. “We got our folks certified and now we’re addressing those issues along with recovery, and courts are telling us they’re seeing more families stay together.”
Taylor said the center serves roughly 100 clients from Hardy County, employs local staff, and has expanded telehealth services to meet transportation and rural-access barriers. He described state and federal grant billing as a significant revenue source that allows the program to pay staff and operate without increasing local incarceration costs.
Commission action
The commission voted to continue Hardy County’s $20,000 matching contribution for the community corrections grant (FY 2026) and to sign the related MOU. Commissioners then heard a separate request from Taylor for $30,000 from the county’s opioid-settlement fund to staff one position for 12 months. That second request was tabled; commissioners asked staff to confirm the county’s available opioid-settlement balance and to return the request for consideration once fund availability and other commitments are documented.
Why it matters
Taylor said the Day Report Center’s alternative-to-incarceration programming reduces county jail costs and keeps clients engaged in treatment and work, which the center and courts described as a cost saving when compared with incarceration. The center reported growth in billable services to DHHR and in client numbers since 2022.
Next steps
County staff will verify opioid-settlement fund balances and report back. The Day Report Center will finalize MOU paperwork tied to the $20,000 match.
